There have been few scientifically rigorous prospective studies which have looked at the phenomenology of obsessions and compulsions in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), in the last decade. The current study aims to extend these findings and establisp their cross-cultural validity. Two hundred and two consecutive subjects with OCD were evaluated using the Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale- Symptom Check List and Scale for Assessment of form and content. The data was subjected to Factor analysis with varimax rotation. The results suggest that there are factors which are broadly common to the two scales. The main Factors which emerged were Washers, Checkers, Hoarding and two pure Obsessional Factors. The cross-cultural validity of these factors has been established for an Indian population, and the relevance of specific items between scales has been discussed. The importance of such approaches in understanding etiology, prognosis and treatment of OCD is highlighted.

Two hundred and thirty men, being treated for I CD-10 diagnosed dependence on alcohol, opioids or both, were studied 2-4 weeks after the last use of alcohol or opioids. Alienation Scale, Sensation Seeking Scale and Muliphasic Personality Questionnaire (MPQ), and selected sociodemographic and family history data were studied. All three groups showed high alienation (more in opioid cases), high sensation seeking (more in alcohol cases, more for boredom susceptibility), and a disturbed MPQ profile. The dual dependence group was similar to opioid group for age, but closer to alcohol group in terms of personality profile. Only alcohol cases showed a significantly positive correlation between alienation and sensation seeking- in terms of total scale, and boredom susceptibility and disinhibition subscales only. Thus, substance specificity was not reflected prominently in the inter-relationships between alienation, sensation seeking and MPQ scores, and sociodemographic variables.

The congruence between self reported drug use and urinalysis data among 89 consecutive opioid dependents at their first contact in an outpatient clinic was examined. For this purpose self reports of drug use within preceding 72 hr, laboratory analysis of urine samples by thin layer chromatography (TLC) were carried out for various drugs. The same samples were also confirmed by gas liquid chromatography (GL C). Many subjects reported concomitant poly-drug use. The base rate was found to be low for other drugs besides heroin. The conclusion could be dra wn more con vincingly as regard heroin use. Inaccuracy in self-report of drug use has been observed using GLC as a gold standard. The subjects are likely to be more accurate when they report abstinence than when reporting drug use. These results also suggest that clinicians should be cautious while prescribing agonist/partial agonists especially based on only self-report for long term maintenance program, as many patients may not be really physiolologically dependent.

Kerala state branch of IPS sought suggestions from the public regarding the state policy on mental health. The letters received from the people were analysed and most suggestions were found to be useful. Suggestions made by the people and the psychiatrists were similar in content. This observation highlights the usefulness of 'user-provider collaboration' in mental health planning. Both 'user as well as the 'providers' need to be consulted in order to establish user-friendly mental health services.

One hundred patients were selected from the cardiology outpatient department by non-probability purposive method. Each patient was evaluated by a psychiatrist and a consultant cardiologist The informations were recorded in a self designed proforma. The Hindi version of Goldberg's General Health Questionnaire and modified adjective check list for type A and type B personality characteristics were administered. Seventy five percent of the patients were having psychiatric problems. The cardiac patients were having psychiatric problems. The cardiac patients were having predominantly type A personality characteristics. Panic disorder was the predominant diagnosis in the psychiatric patients and depression was the main diagnosis in cardiac patients. These patients presented with complaints of chest pain, palpitation, ghabarahat, weakness, increased sweating, hot and cold flushes, choking, breathlessness, decreased appetite.etc.in cardiac OPD.

A rare case of 13 years old female child with recurrent trichobezoar stomach which needed reoperation for its removal is reported. Patient also had trichotillomania and mental retardation. She showed satisfactory response to therapy with fluoxetine.

Complete combined amputation of penis and scrotum has been rarely reported. A case of an elderly male with complete genital mutilation is presented with the complexities of the phenomena. He was suffering from severe depressive episode and had experienced multiple events related to urinary system. His vulnerability to self injurious behaviour had been established by past suicide attempt. Gross impairment of judgement and depressive cognitions were instrumental in precipitating such behaviour. Related literatures are discussed.

Dhat syndrome is a commonly diagnosed disorder in Indian male patients. Patients present with various physical and mental symptoms which are attributed to the passage of "Dhat"(commonly semen) in urine. A case of an adult female is described who presented with complaints of aches and pains, headaches and poor concentration which she attributed to "wetness" experienced per vaginum during sexual intercourse. Arguments are presented for the existence of "Female Dhat Syndrome"

A Case of genital self-mutilation under the effect of delusions and hallucinations is described. The Importance of liasion between surgical and psychiatric services is highlighted.

Self inflicted injury to the eyes including self-enucleation is a rare phenomenon. The authors describe a case of bilateral self-enucleation in a patient with paranoid schizophrenia. A review of literature shows that self-enucleation is correlated with moral, religious and psychodynamic paradigms and various unconscious mechanisms have been proposed to explain this unusual behaviour.

Depression in prepubertal age group is a relatively rare condition. The presence of life threatening catatonic features call for aggressive treatment. Electro convulsive therapy (ECT) has been described to be effective in these circumstances; however, doubts have been raised about its safety profile. This present case study illustrates the efficacy and safety of ECT in prepubertal catatonia.

Venlafaxine is a novel antidepressant with a rapid onset of action. It is highly efficacious in the treatment of depression and in comparison to the traditional thcyclic antidepressants, it has a favourable side effects profile. Although effective, venlafaxine too carries a risk for manic switch in bipolar affective disorder patients. Give the paucity of literature, we report a case of venlafaxine induced mania and discuss the possible neurochemical underpinnings of this adversity.

Venlafaxine is a newly introduced antidepressant that is clinically different from other antidepressants, possesses a slightly different mechanism of action and may have unique efficacy properties and a faster onset of action. A case of venlafaxine induced severe hypertension is reported to highlight the need for caution while using this drug.